SMALL JOB PRESS

On the other side of the cutter is one of two job presses that were used in the Banks County Journal operation. This smaller job press is a 10x15 Chandler & Price platen press that was manufactured in 1909. It is called an “old style,” which is designated by the curvy bars on the large flywheel you see.

The press was operated by hand and was driven by the central belt drive in the building. The operator would stand on the feed side and would take a sheet of paper off of the upper wooden board and feed it by hand onto the “platen” when the press opened. Ink would be on the large round disk and rollers would roll the ink down onto the printing letters that were locked into a “chase” (metal frame) on the opposite side of the platen. The press would then close and “press” the platen with the blank sheet against the inked letters, thus printing onto the paper. The press would then open and the operator would use his left hand to remove the printed page while simultaneously feeding a new blank sheet onto the platen with his right hand.

The operation of these presses was dangerous and many an operator lost tips of fingers when he failed to remove his had from the platen before it closed.

These job presses were manufactured in various sizes for doing different size printing jobs.